Scribe of Heaven (NW CENTURY EDITION) [Perfect Paperback]

Jonathan S. Rose (Editor), Stuart Shotwell (Editor), Mary Lou Bertucci (Editor)

Book Description

Series: NW CENTURY EDITION | Publication Date: January 2, 2005

The essays in this volume testify to the far-reaching effects of Emanuel Swedenborg’s works in Western culture. From his early days as an ambitious young scientist in the ferment of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment Europe, through his mid-life entrance into an ongoing experience of the spiritual world, to his last decades as a researcher of things spiritual, Swedenborg built a career that left a unique legacy. His vivid descriptions of the nonphysical realm made a powerful impression on minds as diverse as Goethe, Blake, Emerson, Yeats, and Borges.

 

This book serves as a self-contained resource on Swedenborg’s life and thought and as a gateway into further exploration of the labyrinthine garden of Swedenborg’s works. It includes a biography, rich in fascinating detail; lively overviews of the content and history of Swedenborg’s writings on spiritual topics; and essays tracing Swedenborg’s impact in various regions of the world.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772), a truly remarkable visionary, began his career as a Swedish mining official and member of parliament and became well known throughout Europe as a scientist and prolific writer on scientific and philosophical subjects. After a series of profound religious experiences during midlife, he devoted the remaining twenty-seven years of his life to being a servant of the Lord@ and wrote energetically to communicate a spiritual vision of reality. Since then, the rigid theologies of the eighteenth century have steadily yielded, and the foresighted lucidity of his perspective has gained widening recognition. The fresh and contemporary appeal of Swedenborg's insights arises from the respect he showed for all religious faiths that stress a useful and loving life.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 580 pages
• Publisher: Swedenborg Foundation Publishers (January 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877854742
• ISBN-13: 978-0877854746
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #407,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > History > Europe > Sweden
  • #87 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Theosophy

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great guidebook, November 10, 2005

By 

Stephen D. Cole (Bryn Athyn, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Scribe of Heaven (NW CENTURY EDITION) (Perfect Paperback)

This is a book that should really be on your shelf if you are interested in finding your way around Swedenborg's voluminous works.

There is simply no better reference book for tracking down titles, figuring out when they were written, what they are about, and where they have been published.

But beyond this, there are fascinating and carefully written scholarly accounts of the subsequent history and impact of these works.

Knowing something of what it would contain, I got a copy as soon as it was published - but then I opened it and found many unexpected gems as well.